Pneumatic cushion.



No. 819,452. PATENTED MAY 1, 1906. V. H.- PODSTATA.

PNBUMATIG CUSHION.

APPLICATION FILED O0T.13. 1905.

aufm n n @Jf i UNITED sTATEs'l PATENT oE-EIGE.

' Application led October 13, 1905. Serial No. 282,616.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentes May-1, 1906.

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, VAoLAv H. PODSTATA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dunning, in the county of Cook and State of Illin ois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Cushions, of which the following is a specication.

This invention is intended, primaril for use with automobiles, although the evice may be appliedto carriages or other vehicles in which it is desirable to make use of a cushion located between the running-gear and the frame for the purpose of minimizingthe effect of jolts or jars on the running-gear.

The object of the invention is to so construct the cushion that it may be regulated to exert a greater or less degree of resiliency by inflating the inner pneumatic receptacle to a greater or less extent. This enables the same cushion to be adapted for use under varying conditions, which is impossible in the case of steel springs or similar cushioning devices.

The invention consists in the features of construction andcombination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

v In the drawings illustrating the invention,- Figure 1 is a side elevation of an automobileframe employing the pneumatic cushion of the present invention, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal sectional view of the 'cushion as a whole.

Referring more especially tof Fig. 2, the cushion consists of a metallic or other rigid casing 1, preferably, though not necessarily, of elongated cylindrical shape, having contracted ends 2 terminating in a plungermounting 3, provided with a hole 4 for the passage .therethrough of a plunger 5, thelungers at opposite ends of the casing being ongitudinally in line with one another. The casing preferably consists of two halves or sections forming a longitudinally-extending seam, anj'd'the two sections are each provided with side ears 6 and end ears 7, through which are passed bolts or screws 8 for uniting the two sections together. Within the casing is an elongated pneumatic sack or receptacle 9, which, as shown, has a cross-'sectional diameter substantially equal to the crosssectional diameter ofthe casing, but is of less length than the casing, so as to leave an open space at each end of the casing for the reciprocation of the oppositely-disposed plungers.

The pneumatic sack or receptacle is preferably composed of an inner sack 10, of rubber or other air-tight elastic material, surrounded and inclosed by an outer layer of fabric 11, l

having a laced opening 12 in its side for the ner sack. The air-tight sack is provided with an air-valve 13 for the pur ose of ination to any desired tension. 4ach of the plungers 5 is providedwitli a rounded head 14, which abuts against the center of the rounded end of the inner receptacle and is of purpose of facilitating replacement of the insubstantially less diameter than the receptacle, so that. the tension or resiliency of the cushioning device will be centered at the ends rather than distributed over a wide area. .The upper and lower plungers 5 are secured, respectively, to the runningear 15 and the vehicle-frame 20 in -anysuitale and convenient manner, and, as shown, the runninggear is held in place by means of. a radius-rod 21', pivoted to aI suitable portion of the vehicle-f rame, which arrangement allows the running-gear to move with respect to the vehicle-frame and causes the cushion to minimize the effect of jolts and jars and preventthe vibration of the running-gear from being imparted to the vehicle-frame.

In use the pneumatic receptacle can be in- Hated to any desired degree; but the expansion of the elastic inner sack will be prevented by the inclosing sack of fabric, which should be of such stren th as to prevent undue expansion and at t e same time permit very sensitive cushion which wi lrespond ,95

readily to the vibrations of the running-gear and prevent such vibrations from being transf-- mitted to the vehicle-body. The neumatic receptacle can be iniated to any esired degree, which enables the user to regulate the degree of resiliency exerted by the cushion, since the tinued in ation will become hard or rigid without beingexpanded, so that its resilient roperties will be Iproportionately increased by the simple met od of inflating the cushion.A The rigid outer casing serves tov reinforce the outer fabric of the pneumatic receptacle at the sides,so that the entire compression of the receptacle will be from the opposite ends, which further serves to center the resilient qualities of the cushion'at the most de- Ioo neumatic receptacle under consirable oints. By forming the outer casing in two ongitudinal halves or sections immediate access can be had to the interior of the cushion for the purpose of repair or otherwise, and at the saine time the halves or sections of the casing can be formed from sheet metal, which can be bent or died into the proper shape.

It will be seen from the foregoin description 4that the device of the present invention ossesses extreme sensitiveness of the cushion, as it permits an inflation up to any desired tension, and its range is limited only by the volume of air within and the size of the head of the plunger in accordance with the object to be obtained. The larver the volume of air and the smaller the Iiead of the plunger the greater the sensitiveness, and vice versa. The second advantage is the practically perfect rotection of the elastic sack or receptacle rom the effect of dust, moisture, or injury from the outside, and the third advantage is the great ease of repair or replacement of the parts in that either the outer sack of stron Although thc invention has been described as a cushion for automobiles or similar vehicles, it is obvious that it is not limited to such use, since it can be used under other circuinstances in which itis desirable to employ a cushion having the properties above referred to, and it is further apparent that although the cushion, as shown, 1s of elongated cylindrical shape that its shape can be modified considerably without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1. A cushion consisting of a rigid outer casing, a pneumatic receptacle inside the casing of suflicient cross-sectional diameter to bear against the inner side walls of the casing and.

be supported thereby and two opp'ositclydisposed pistons slidably mounted 1n the casing and adapted to contact with the pneumatic receptacle to compress the same under tension, substantially as described.

2. In a cushion, the combination of an outer rigid casing, a pneumatic receptacle inside the casing having a cross-sectional diameter substantially equal to the interior diameter of the casing and having a less length than the interior length of the casing and two pistons slidably mounted in opposite ends of the casing and of less diameter than the pneumatic receptacle and adapted to contact with fabric or the inner sack of air-tight materia can be removed and relplaced in a very few minutes, if necessary.

the opposite ends of the pneumatic receptacle to inwardly compress tlie ends under tension, substantially as described.

` 3. In a cushion, the combination of a rigid casing a pneumatic receptacle inside the casing consisting of an outer non-elastic supporting fabric, an inner elastic sack or receptacle, an air-valve for intlating the elastic receptacle to any desired tension, and two oppositely-disposed plungers of lesser diameter than the neumatic receptacle and slidably mounted in the casing and adapted to contact with the ends of the receptacle and compress the saine under tension, substantially as described.

4. In a cushion, the combination of a rigid elongated cylindrical casing contracted at its ends and having at its ends plunger-mountings, op ositely-dis osed plungers reciprocally held within t e mountings, a pneumatic receptacle within the casing of substantially equal width with the casing and of less length and adapted to be intl-ated and to have its ends inwardly compressed by the oppositely-disposed plungers,A substantially as described.

5. In a cushion, the combination of a rigid elongated cylindrical casing contracted at its ends and having at its ends plunger-mountinffs,

oppositely-disposed plungers reciprocaIly he d within the inountings, a pneumatic receptacle within the casing of substantially equal width with the casing and of less length'and adapted to be inflated and to have its ends inwardly compressed by the oppositelydisposed plungers, said pneumatic receptacle consisting of an inner elastic. sack and an outer covering of non-elastic fabric, and a valve for admitting pressure to the interior of the elastic sack, substantially as described.

6. In combination with a vehicle-axle and body, a cushion consisting of a rigid elongated outer shell or casing having slidably mounted therein oppositely-arranged plungers one of the plungers being secured to the axle and the other plunger to the vehicle-body, and a pneumatic receptacle within the casing adapted to be compressed from either' direction by the oppositely-disposed plungers for providing a cushioning action between the vehiclebody and the axle, substantially as described.

VACLAV H. PODSTATA. Witnesses:

SAMUEL W, BANNING, WILLIAM P. BOND.

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